//------------------------------//
// The Bride 
// Story: No Day But Today 
// by Harmony Charmer 
//------------------------------//

	"Pinkie, will you quit fidgeting?" Rarity hissed quietly. "If you're not careful, I'll end up tearing the fabric or worse!"

Pinkie frowned. "But this is taking foreveeeeeeer..." She sighed as Rarity continued her examination of her dress, which was poofy and resembled the frosting of a cupcake. Pinkie shook her head to devoid herself of the thought, not wanting to remind herself of how hungry she was. 'I mean, it's not like I ate a long time ago... Oh, wait, I did eat a long time ago...' Pinkie whined quietly as Rarity paced around her. "Rarity, can I have a--"

"No," Rarity said curtly. "Last time I gave you something to eat while you were in your dress, it was a disaster! You got frosting everywhere!" She sighed raggedly. "That fitting was a nightmare..."

Button walked up with a small pushpin cushion covered in multi-colored pins. "Need any pins?"

Rarity's rigidness faded a bit from her posture and expression as she smiled at Button. "Thank you, dear." She levitated the pins around the train of Pinkie's dress, then leaned in and pressed her cat-eye glasses further up her nose as she examined the hemline. She sighed. "I really ought to have checked before... The stitching looks so strange!"

Pinkie turned her head to watch Rarity. "Uh, Rarity, if it's such a problem, I could always change dress--"

"Absolutely not!" Rarity snapped. She winced at her own tone. "Sorry, dear, but I don't want to go through another fitting. We already chose your dress, remember?"

Pinkie did remember. She had tried on approximately 27 dresses, much to Rarity's disdain, and each one had been a fight to get right. After all the different shades of pearl, alabaster, ivory, and eggshell, Pinkie had settled on a simple white gown with pink trim on the neckline, sleeves, and skirt. But, Rarity had still been haggard by the end of the fitting, and had insisted that Pinkie not change her mind, which was rather difficult for her.

"Well, what about the veil, then?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, it might look--"

"It's fine," Rarity told her, not even looking at her.

"What about the necklace? It's kind of--"

"It's fine."

"Oooh, what about the shoes? They might--"

"Pinkie, it's fine!" Rarity exclaimed. She sighed raggedly. "Pinkie, why are you being so indecisive? You're always so sure of what you're supposed to do, but now you're fretting over a dress?"

"A wedding dress!" Pinkie protested. She rolled her eyes. "For my wedding day, Rarity!"

Rarity blinked. "You actually care about that sort of thing? I figured you'd be more... lax on the matter."

Pinkie shook her head. "No way! I mean, this is supposed to be the best day of my life, right? How is it going to be that if I don't look my best? Or how will anypony remember it forever and ever if I don't remember it because of how I looked? Or what if my veil falls off and everypony laughs? Or what it my shoes fall off when I walk down the aisle and I trip and fall? What if everypony laughs at me instead with me? What if--"

Rarity put a hoof to Pinkie's muzzle to silence her. "Now hold on, dear! Where is all this coming from? You weren't so nervous a while ago!"

"Because I'm getting married!" Pinkie cried out, her hooves flying to her face dramatically. "I don't know what to do! I'm so worried, because Sombra and I are supposed to be getting married and have a life together, but what if things don't go right? What if this is all a big mistake and I have to deal with the consequences?" She gasped. "Oh, no, what about the foal?! What happens if things don't work out and I have to raise it alone?"

Rarity's magic dissipated almost instantly and a rain of pins came down upon them. Unconsciously, Rarity caught them before they hit the floor or the three ponies in the room, then placed them all on the pin cushion Button was holding, who looked positively shocked and incredulous. Finally, Rarity turned to Pinkie, her eyes wide and shell-shocked. "What did you just say?"

Pinkie, having realized what she just said, blushed in embarrassment. "Whoops... Um, surprise?"

Rarity, still shocked, pointed at the door without turning away from Pinkie. "Button, will you go check on how Sombra is doing, please? Oh, and don't mention what you heard in here, will you? What happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room." As Button exited the room, Rarity took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly before removing her glasses and placing them beside the pin cushion on the vanity. "Pinkie, would you care to repeat what you just said so that I might confirm what I heard?"

"...No."

Rarity chuckled uncomfortably. "Oh, thank goodness, because I could have sworn that you said that you have a foal with Sombra!"

Pinkie flinched. "Are you mad at us...?"

"Yes! Extremely so, Pinkie!" She sighed. "How could you two keep this from us? We're your friends, aren't we?"

Pinkie's eyes widened at the accusation and she nodded. "Of course you are! We didn't tell you because, well... We thought you guys might freak out and think we were only getting married because I'm... You know."

Rarity's eyes widened. "You didn't know until after Sombra proposed?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nuh-uh! We found out a week later, Rarity." She held up her hooves. "You can't tell anyone yet! Please, you have to keep this a secret! Only my mom and dad know outside of me and Sombra!"

Rarity frowned. "Pinkie, you can't honestly expect me--"

"Promise me!" Pinkie told her. "Pinkie Promise!"

Rarity flinched at that, not sure what to say. A Pinkie Promise was the highest form of promise, and it definitely carried the most weight out of any promise to exist through the ages. Rarity knew all too well what the penalties of breaking a promise was and that it could have serious consequences for everyone, even those not involved. She sighed. "Alright... Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Pinkie smiled, satisfied with Rarity's promise. "Yay!" She put on a serious face. "You know this means you can't tell anypony ever, right?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Or that you ever knew, right?"

Rarity nodded once more. "Yes, Pinkie, I know the drill. Because if I tell anypony a secret or break a friend's trust, then it's the quickest way to lose them--"

"Forever!" Pinkie finished. She faltered a bit. "Rarity, what am I going to do if something goes wrong? Or what if I'm not making the right decision?"

Rarity blinked at her in surprise. "Pinkie, since when have you gotten so serious about things? You're usually so--"

"Silly?" Pinkie sighed. "Yeah, well, sometimes it's hard for anypony to tell when you're being serious when you act silly all the time." She perked up. "But if it means everypony gets a laugh out of it, then it's fine by me!"

Rarity coughed uncomfortably. "Yes, well, I suppose that makes sense... In a party pony way." She gasped in realization. "Oh, Cheese! The poor thing is probably running himself ragged, what with making sure everything's going smoothly and--" She gasped again. "Oh, Sombra! I forgot to check his suit!" She looked up apologetically. "I'm sorry, dear, I have to run!"

Pinkie didn't say anything as Rarity darted out of the room, and she didn't say anything even when she was alone. With nothing better to do, she found herself looking at the mirror, where a mare so different and similar to herself stood. Her mane was pulled back, save for her familiar, front curl that bounced against her nose when she moved just so, with a pink, frilly ribbon with blue lace on the edges. Her dress was simple and white, the pink trim along the skirt and neckline accenting her coat perfectly, with a blue brooch that had belonged to her Granny Pie wrapped around her neck.

'Something borrowed and something blue,' Pinkie thought to herself, lightly recalling the rhyme.

Pinkie had never thought about her wedding day. She had planned weddings and wedding parties, but she had never considered how her own would be. Being a party pony and an advocate of Laughter made making herself happy and her own celebrations rather difficult to plan. Especially due to how hard it was to pinpoint eactly what she wanted. Cheese had been the one to plan the wedding in the end of it, after he and Sombra realized how overwhelming it was to her. She felt a pinch of guilt as she recalled how exhausted he was because of it, despite how many times he had told her he was fine.

"Hey, Pinkie!"

Pinkie let out a small, quiet shriek before whipping around to face whoever had entered the room. Speak of the Devil, it was Cheese, who was wearing a suit that had seen better days back before the day had begun. She sighed. "Cheesie, you scared me!"

Cheese chuckled. "Sorry! I guess I got excited. How's the bride doing?"

Pinkie put on a big smile. "Great! I'm great, Cheesie!"

Cheese frowned almost instantly. "No, you're not. You're freaking out, aren't you?"

Pinkie sighed. She kind of disliked how well Cheese knew her. "Yeah, I am. A lot, actually."

"Worried about how the wedding's gonna go?" Cheese guessed.

"Yeah."

"And if things are gonna go right for you and Sombra?"

"Yep."

"And how the foal's gonna be?"

"Uh-huh."

Cheese shrugged. "It's OK, these things happen, y'know. I mean, you're not the first pony to freak out before a wedding, Pinks!"

Pinkie sighed. "I know, but still! How am I supposed to know if I'm making the right decision? What if-- What if I freak out when I get to the altar? What if I, just, turn around, for no reason? What am I going to do? How am I going to handle all this? How am I supposed to know if everything's going to be fine?"

Cheese darted towards her and held out his hoof. "Breathe, Pinkie. Just breathe, OK? You're gonna start hyperventilating." He gave her a reassuring smile as she did as told and sighed. "Y'know, you shouldn't be freaking out so much. Everything's going to be just fine!" He held up a hoof as Pinkie opened her mouth to answer. "Breathe! Now, I'm sure you're just worrying for nothing, Pinks. You and Sombra are gonna be happy together, even if you don't think that right now. Believe me, Pinks, I've seen a lot of mares-- and stallions, mind you-- freak out about who they're marrying!"

"Yeah, but--"

"Breathe," Cheese urged. "C'mon, Sombra loves you, and I know how much you love him!" Pinkie thought she detected a hint of sadness in his tone, but she decided it to be her imagination. "Besides, Pinks, I think you're forgetting something really important here: the foal! I mean, if Sombra was so unsure about it, then why was he getting so excited when I saw you two talking about painting the nursery the other day?"

Pinkie arched a brow. "He actually looked kinda nervous..."

Cheese shrugged. "Excited, nervous, nervouscited, sounds like a bunch of potatoes and tomatoes if you ask me!" He laughed a bit at his own quip. "Listen, Pinkie, I'm gonna have to tell you something, OK? Something you might not want to hear... Love isn't easy."

Pinkie almost snorted at that. Of course she knew love wasn't easy; she had been in it long enough to know. But, Cheese continued nonetheless.

"I mean, I would know, since my parents are divorced and all." He smiled a bit when he saw Pinkie's shocked face. "Yeah, I know, shocker. But, things were hard, especially since they really did love each other... Things were really complicated, is all, and they had to separate before the poison could get worse. I guess that's why I left in the first place." He shook his head and the seriousness was gone. "But, as a smart pony once said, 'The course of true love never did run smooth.'" He paused. "Was that Ponefuscious..?" He shrugged. "Besides, you shouldn't have to worry if things don't work out between you and Sombra-- which is a pretty big 'if', to be real honest."

Pinkie frowned. "Why not?"

Cheese smiled at her. "Because, whether you like it or not, I got your back, Pinks. I'm always gonna have it, as long as my tail is twitchy and my senses are cheesy keen." He smiled at her. "That is, if things don't work out. And, again, that is a pretty big 'if'."

Pinkie felt her eyes prick with tears, and she smiled at Cheese. "Thanks, Cheesie." She hugged him. "I'm really glad to have you as a friend."

Cheese returned the hug. "I'm glad to have you as friend, too, Pinks." He pulled away. "Sorry for leaving abruptly, but I got a wedding to run, y'know."

Pinkie giggled. "Try not to stretch out too much, Cheesie."

Cheese chuckled. "I'll try, but no promises." He smiled at her one last time. "See you soon." He walked to the door, then stopped. "Hey, were you having trouble finding something to wear with your dress?"

Pinkie frowned. "Yeah... I keep feeling like... I don't know, like something is missing."

Cheese smiled. "I guess that explains why I felt like bringing this..." He pulled out a small white box, then gave it to her. "You're gonna wanna wear this."

Pinkie's brows knitted together in confusion, then immediately rose in surprise as she snuck a peek in the box. "Cheese, you didn't have to--"

"Yeah, I do," Cheese told her. "It's your wedding, remember? You wanna look your best, right?"

Pinkie smiled at him. "Thanks, Cheesie."

"No problem, Pinks," Cheese told her. "No problem at all."